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Arizona Cardinals: ‘Open Secret’ implies Kingsbury will be fired

By Sion Fawkes

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury walks the sidelines as his team falls in overtime, 19-16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at State Farm Stadium.Nfl Tampa Bay At Cardinals
Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury walks the sidelines as his team falls in overtime, 19-16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at State Farm Stadium.Nfl Tampa Bay At Cardinals /
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Not even one year ago, the Arizona Cardinals signed head coach Kliff Kingsbury to a contract extension. Now, it looks like he will indeed be fired. 

AZ Central cited a recent report stating Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury will “all but certainly be fired” the day after the final whistle signals the end of a long, disappointing season. Kliff, who led the Cardinals to the playoffs and an 11-6 record in 2021, fell flat on his face in 2022, where his Redbirds will likely finish 4-13.

Following the Cardinals rough start to the 2022 season, I pitched the idea that Kliff may not be back for 2023. I was met with skepticism, thanks to the new contract he signed, but as the season unraveled, what was once unthinkable in the eyes of most Cardinals fans became a reality: That there was likely no way for Kliff to retain his job. 

Contract extension or not, plethora of injuries or not, a 4-12 and likely 4-13 follow up to an 11-6 season was unacceptable. And for weeks, we all knew Kingsbury was (likely) done.

Arizona Cardinals likely to replace Kingsbury

Unless Kliff can sell to owner Michael Bidwill that he deserves another chance, the Cardinals owner will replace the fourth-year head coach. The question is: With who?

Perhaps he will give up some high compensation and bring Sean Payton to the desert. There is also a chance he could go after a potential rookie head coach in Eric Bieniemy or DeMeco Ryans. I expressed interest in considering both, most recently Ryans, despite my ticky-tackiness with rookie NFL head coaches. Especially following the Kingsbury fiasco.

Related Story. Cardinals: Why hiring DeMeco Ryans would make sense. light

Bidwill could also bring in an established veteran like Jason Garrett or Frank Reich, both of whom have experience leading teams to the playoffs. We can likely out another college coach unless that coach’s name is Jim Harbaugh. But then again, Harbaugh has extensive experience coaching in the NFL.

Article Source: Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury ‘will all but certainly’ be fired after NFL Week 18 by Jeremy Cluff

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